Field Experiments: A Bridge Between Lab and Naturally-Occurring Data / John A. List.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

List, John A.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w12992.

NBER working paper series no. w12992

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Field Experiments

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2007.

Summary:

Laboratory experiments have been used extensively in economics in the past several decades to lend both positive and normative insights into a myriad of important economic issues. This study discusses a related approach that has increasingly grown in prominence of late--field experiments. I argue that field experiments serve as a useful bridge between data generated in the lab and empirical studies using naturally-occurring data. In discussing this relationship, I highlight that field experiments can yield important insights into economic theory and provide useful guidance to policymakers. I also draw attention to an important methodological contribution of field experiments: they provide an empirical account of behavioral principles that are shared across different domains. In this regard, at odds with conventional wisdom, I argue that representativeness of the environment, rather than representative of the sampled population, is the most crucial variable in determining generalizability of results for a large class of experimental laboratory games.

Notes:

Print version record

March 2007.